Means for breaking down and dislodging rocky material



T. SEAMAN July 22, 1941. v

MEANS FOR BREAKING .DOWN AND DISLODGING ROCKY MATERIAL Filed June 7, 1940 I x w! Q wwmwww \x kw mm Patented July 22, 1941 MEANS FOR. BREAKING DOWN AND DISLODGING ROCKY MATERIAL Tom Seaman, Wigan, England Application June 7, 1940, Serial No. 339,384 In Great Britain May 31, 1939 4 Claims.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to means for breaking down and/or dislodging rocky materials and brickwork such as are met with in mining operations, house demolition work and the like.

The invention is particularly concerned with a fluid-pressure operated (hereinafter referred to as a hydraulically operated) tool for breaking down and/or dislodging coal in coal mining operations and the means according to the invention will be hereinafter referred to as a coal dislodger. One method of breaking down coal (which term is used to include all rocky materials) by means of hydraulically operated apparatus is to insert a cartridge provided with a series of hydraulically operated rams in a boring or cut in the coal face and then to supply water under pressure to the ram cylinders so that they act in a radial direction on the coal, relatively to the axis of the boring, and break it down or fissure it.

Whilst the known devices are effective in breaking or fissuring the coal from the coal face it is generally necessary to carry out some further operation in order to dislodge the coal completely so that it can be removed from the seam. One object of the present invention is to provide a hydraulically operated device adapted to be in-- serted in a boring or cutting in the coal face to push or pull the coal bodily therefrom so as to facilitate its removal.

Accordingly the present invention provides a coal dislodger comprising a hydraulic ram having one or more claw means on the movable member of the ram for applying a dislodging force to the coal as the ram is operated.

According to a further feature of the present invention there is provided a coal dislodger comprising a hydraulic ram adapted to be inserted axially into the coal, and claw means on the movable member of the ram for engaging the coal so that as the ram is operated a dislodging force is applied to the coal to push it away. from the coal face. The term axially where used in this specification as defining the direction in which the ram is inserted into the coal face is intended to mean the axis along which the movable member of the ram moves, i. e. the axis of the ram extending in the directionin which the coal is to be dislodgedl Conveniently, the claws are hinged and means are provided for opening them out on their operative stroke so that they engage in the coal, the hinging and opening out means for the claws being such that the claws do not interfere with the introduction of the tool into a boring in the coal, the hinged claws preferably having a kind of toggle action which ensures a firm engagement with the coal.

Several specific embodiments of a hydraulic coal dislodger constructed in accordance with the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing. On the drawing:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of one embodiment of the invention,

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional View on the line II-.-II of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a sectional view of an additional ram which may be employed,

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic sectional elevation of a modified form of the invention, and

Figure 5 is an elevation partly in section of a further modification.

The embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a hydraulic ram having a cylinder l0 and a piston or ram member proper I I provided with a. stem piston rod or stem part l2 and a cup leather [3 so that a fluidtight but sliding joint is made between the piston and its cylinder. vided with a foot M, which, when the device is in use, bears against the back of the boring in the coal face. A block [5 is slidable axially on the stem part I2 and is provided on opposite sides with claws l6 which are pivoted to the block at I! so that they can be opened out and retracted, the open position of the claws being shown in dotted lines. Expansion and retraction of the claws is effected positively by a hand operated mechanism. This mechanism comprises an extension tube threaded into and secured to the cylinder I 0 as indicated at l9, the end of the tube being closed by a threaded plug 20 and a cup washer 2| being provided on the plug to make a fluid-tight joint between the tube and the cylinder. An auxiliary slidable member 22 is supported on the tube 18 and has a screwthreaded part 23 which engages the threads 24 of a sleeve 25. The sleeve 25 is rotatable on the stem part 25 of a water inlet fitting 21, the sleeve being held against axial movement by the end 28 of the tube l8 and by a ball thrust bearing 29 mounted on the fitting 21. The sleeve 25 is rotated by means of handles 30. The auxiliary slidable member 22 is screw-threaded at 3| and secured to a member 32 slidable axially on the cylinder I0. The member 32 is connected by chains 33 to the claws [6. It will be seen that as the sleeve 25 is rotated, the threaded connection of said sleeve to the member 22 will cause The stem part I2 is prosaid member to be moved axially along the tube l8 and this movement will also be transmitted to the member 32 and chains 33 and according to the direction in which the sleeve is rotated the claw IE will be either opened or closed. Water is supplied under pressure to the cylinder In from a pump connected to the screw-threaded part 35 of the fitting 21, by way of a tube 36 whichextends from the fitting to and through the plug 29.

In using the coal dislodger a boring is first made in the coal face and the claws are closed so that the dislodger can be inserted into the boring. The sleeve 25 is then rotated to open the claws and engage them in the sides of the boring. In this opening operation, the chains 33 are prevented from spreading by the Wall of the bore, and act with direct pressure on the claws. pumped into the ram cylinder I so that the cylinder which in this case constitutes the movable member of the ram is forced away from the back of the boring and the claws engaging firmly in the coal face. After the ram has completed its stroke the claws are retracted if necessary, so that the ram can be removed from the coal.

In some cases the coal pusher dislodger may be used in conjunction with a hydraulic cartridge for breaking down the coal. In this case the coal would be first brokenor fissured by the hydraulic cartridge after which the cartridge would be removed from the boring in the coal face and the dislodger inserted in its place, so as to dislodge the broken coal from the coal face.

In order to increase the power of the ram the dislodging tool may include the auxiliary ram shown in Figure 3. To enable this auxiliary ram to be used the stem part l2 has an auxiliary bore 35a and the foot 14 is a removable but fluidtight fit in the end of the stem. To use the auxiliary ram the foot I4 is removed and is replaced by the stem 31 of the auxiliary ram, said stem having a screw-threaded part 33 which screws on the threaded part 39 of the stem l2.

sure is supplied to the cylinder 4| of the auxiliary ram, the water flowing into the cylinder 4| by way of the tube 36, bore 36a and bore 43. It will be seen that with this arrangement the fluid pressure acts on the piston member 42 of the auxiliary ram as well as on the piston I l of the main ram'and a substantial increase in the power of the dislodger tool is obtained. 7

In the modification shown in Figure 4 the coal dislodger comprises a cylinder 43 having an inlet 44 for waterunder pressure and a piston 45 provided with a piston rod extension 45. A block 41 is slidably mounted on the piston rod exten-' sion 45 and the block carries hinged claws 48 -which 'are spring loaded by means of springs 49 so that they tend to open out into the position shown in dotted lines. The block 4'! is connected to the cylinder 43 by chains 50. The dislodger is inserted in the boring in the coal, the claws closing to permit this movement. When water is pumped under pressure into the cylinder '43 the cylinder moves forwardly pulling the claws with it and the claws dig into and dislodge the coal Figure shows a modification of the invention which is similar to Figure 4 but in this modification the'block'4l is connected to the cylinder 43 by rigid coupling rods 5! which have a T head Water is then and slot or like readily disconnected attachment to the cylinder at 52.

The hydraulic coal dislodger can be used for dislodging coal or other rocky material which has been broken or fissured by the use of explosives.

The part 15 which carries the claws is preferably of nickel-chrome steel and is screwed on to the barrel l0 so that the claws can readily be renewed. Apart from increasing the stroke of the tool the auxiliary ram gives additional power for cases where the burden is too great for the single ram arrangement.

I claim:

1. A coal dislodger to be inserted in a boring in the coal face, comprising two members one of which is a cylinder and the other of which is a ram member working in said cylinder, inletmeans on the cylinder for the introduction thereinto of fluid under pressure, one of said members being movable relative to the other member under fluid pressure and the non-movable member having a foot to bear against the back of the boring in the coal face and expansible claw means on the movable member for applying a dislodging force to the coal as said member is moved by fluid pressure.

2. A coal dislodger comprising a ram cylinder, a ram member working in said cylinder and having a rearwardly extending stem part provided with a foot to bear against the back of a boring in the coal in which the ram is inserted,

a member slidable on said stem part and having expansible claws, means connecting said member The stem 31 has a bore 40 by which water under presto the ram cylinder, said cylinder having inlet means for the supply of fluid thereinto under pressure whereby the cylinder is moved relatively to theram and a dislodging force is applied to the coal by the claws.

3. A coal dislodger to be inserted in a boring in the coal face comprising a ram cylinder to be inserted axially into the coal and having an inlet for fluid under pressure, a ram member working in said cylinder, a rearwardly extending stem part on said ram member, said stem part having an axial bore open to the pressure fluid inlet, a member slidable on said stem part and having claw means, means connecting said slidable member to the ram cylinder, an auxiliary ram cylinder to be inserted in the boring in the coal face with its axis in alignment with the axis of the first mentioned ram cylinder and its rear end bearing against the end of said boring and an auxiliary ram member working in said auxiliary ram cylinder and having a stem part provided with an axial bore communicating with the auxiliary cylinder and the axial bore in the stem of the first mentioned ram member whereby fluid under pressure can be supplied to said auxiliary cylinder.

4. A material breaker and dislodger including two relatively movable members, material breaking and dislodging elements carried by and movable relative to one of said members, means for initially positioning and operatively spreading the dislodging elements for operative function, and fluid pressure means for moving said members relatively for increasing spread of the elements to compel an increasing breaking of the material and for moving the spread elements bodily to dislodge the material.

TOM SEAMAN. 

